OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


G30.T 


AGRICW.TURE 


NON  CIRCULATING 

CHECK  FOR  UNBOUND 
CIRCULATING  COPY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  307 


BUSH  LIMA  BEANS  AS  A  MARKET 
GARDEN  CROP 


By  J.  W.  LLOYD 


URBAXA,  ILLINOIS,  MAY,  1928 


SUMMARY 

Since  green  lima  beans,  as  ordinarily  handled,  are  a  very  perish- 
able commodity,  there  would  be  less  risk  in  handling  the  crop  if  it 
were  grown  close  to  market. 

The  bush  types  of  lima  beans  are  better  adapted  to  production 
under  market-garden  conditions  in  the  corn  belt  than  the  pole  types. 
Only  the  large-seeded  types  of  limas  are  popular  on  the  market.  These 
are  less  reliable  croppers  than  the  small-seeded  type.  These  experi- 
ments were  therefore  conducted  with  a  view  to  developing  a  method 
of  securing  better  yields  from  the  large-seeded  types. 

Overhead  irrigation  increased  the  average  yield  of  beans  44  per- 
cent. In  market  gardens  equipped  for  irrigation  it  is  therefore  recom- 
mended that  lima  beans  be  planted  where  they  can  be  irrigated.  The 
highest  average  yields  were  secured  where  the  conditions  for  vegetative 
growth  were  made  most  favorable  by  irrigation  and  applications  of 
nitrate  of  soda. 

When  grown  without  irrigation,  inoculation  of  the  lima  bean  seed 
with  the  same  kind  of  bacteria  that  are  used  to  inoculate  cowpeas 
increased  the  average  yield  19  percent.  Yields  in  the  irrigated  beans, 
however,  were  not  materially  improved  by  inoculation. 

Fertilization  with  steamed  bone  increased  the  yields  as  compared 
with  no  treatment,  but  did  not  result  in  quite  such  high  average  yields 
as  inoculation  when  both  lots  were  grown  without  irrigation. 

There  were  greater  differences  in  average  yields  between  different 
varieties  than  between  different  treatments.  The  Dreer's  Bush  Lima 
produced  by  far  the  highest  yields. 

Most  markets  now  demand  that  lima  beans  be  shelled  before  they 
are  offered  for  sale.  In  local  markets  where  the  producer  comes  di- 
rectly in  contact  with  the  consumer  it  might  be  possible  to  educate 
the  public  to  purchase  lima  beans  in  the  pod,  and  thus  secure  the  ad- 
vantage of  less  perishability,  better  sanitary  conditions,  and  a  lower- 
priced  product. 


BUSH  LIMA  BEANS  AS  A  MARKET 
GARDEN  CROP 

By  J.  W.  LLOYD,  Chief  in  Olericulture 

Green  lima  beans  are  recognized  as  a  table  delicacy  and  com- 
mand a  high  price.  They  are  grown  principally  in  a  few  special  local- 
ities, and  shipped  considerable  distances  to  the  large  markets.  Ship- 
ments are  not  usually  made  directly  from  producing  points  to  the 
smaller  cities. 

Most  markets  demand  that  green  lima  beans  be  shelled  before 
they  are  offered  for  sale.  This  means,  in  most  cases,  shelling  before 
shipment  and,  therefore,  transportation  of  the  freshly  shelled  beans. 
Green  shelled  beans  are  a  precarious  commodity  to  ship,  especially 
in  warm  weather,  and  often  reach  the  market  in  a  discolored  or  even 
moldy  condition;  and  in  such  condition  they  are  of  little  value.  Re- 
shipment  to  smaller  markets  increases  the  hazard,  and  this  is  one 
reason  why  the  smaller  markets  do  not  handle  them. 

There  would  be  certain  advantages  in  growing  lima  beans  as  a 
market-garden  crop  close  to  local  markets  not  now  adequately  sup- 
plied. There  would  be  much  less  risk  of  losing  the  crop  after  it  was 
produced,  than  in  distant  shipments.  On  the  other  hand,  certain  dis- 
advantages would  be  encountered  if  the  same  type  of  beans  were 
grown  and  the  same  cultural  methods  employed  as  are  common  in 
the  trucking  centers  now  growing  green  limas.  The  markets  demand 
the  large-seeded  types.  The  pole  or  running  varieties  chiefly  are 
grown  in  the  trucking  regions.  These  regions  are  located  for  the  most 
part  where  native  timber  is  abundant,  and  saplings  can  readily  be 
secured  for  poles.  In  the  vicinity  of  many  local  markets  in  the  corn 
belt,  there  is  no  timber  land  from  which  poles  may  be  cut,  and  avail- 
able substitutes  for  bean  poles  are  very  expensive  if  purchased  at  a 
lumber  yard. 

Because  of  the  foregoing  facts  attention  is  directed  toward  the 
bush  forms  of  lima  beans,  which  require  no  poles  or  other  supports. 
Of  these  the  Sieva,  or  small-seeded  type,  is  easily  grown  and  is  an 
abundant  cropper.  The  market,  however,  is  prejudiced  against  small- 
seeded  limas,  and  the  shelling  of  them  is  a  tedious  task.  The  bush 
forms  of  the  large-seeded  limas  would  be  admirably  adapted  to  grow- 
ing under  market-garden  conditions  in  the  corn  belt  except  for  one 
drawback.  Attempts  to  grow  them  have  usually  resulted  in  disap- 
pointment because  they  have  produced  such  meager  yields.  It  is  a 
common  occurrence  for  the  plants  to  make  a  robust  growth  and  blos- 
som freely,  but  fail  to  set  or  develop  many  pods. 

391 


392  BULLETIN  No.  307  [May, 

With  a  view  to  determining  the  cause  of  low  yields  in  bush  limas, 
and  developing  a  method  of  culture  that  would  result  in  larger  yields, 
certain  experiments  were  started  at  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  at  Urbana,  in  1919,  and  were  continued  thru  five  years. 
These  experiments  included:  (1)  the  growing  of  limas  with  overhead 
irrigation;  (2)  the  inoculation  of  the  seed;  (3)  increasing  the  nitrogen 
supply  by  means  of  sodium  nitrate;  (4)  supplying  an  abundance  of 
phosphorus  by  the  use  of  bone  meal. 

In  order  to  make  the  test  as  fair  as  possible,  five  different  varie- 
ties of  beans  were  used:  Burpee  Improved  Bush  Lima,  Burpee's  Bush 
Lima,  New  Wonder  Bush  Lima,  Dreer's  Bush  Lima,  and  Fordhook 
Bush  Lima.  The  last  two  varieties  are  of  the  potato  lima  type,  with 
thick,  plump  seeds,  while  the  others  are  of  the  large,  flat  type.  Both 
types  are  classified  on  the  market  as  large  limas  and  sell  equally  well. 

CONDITIONS  OF  EXPERIMENTS 

Seed  Planted  Late. — Since  the  large  limas  demand  high  temper- 
ature, and  the  seeds  are  likely  to  rot  in  the  ground  if  planted  when 
the  soil  is  too  cold  and  wet,  in  these  experiments  the  planting  of  the 
beans  was  delayed  until  after  the  first  of  June.  In  most  years,  the 
seeds  were  planted  between  June  1  and  10,  but  one  year  planting  was 
deferred  until  June  20. 

Layout  of  Rows. — Twenty-five  hills  of  each  variety  were  grown 
under  each  treatment.  The  hills  were  placed  2  feet  apart  in  the  row, 
while  the  rows  were  3%  feet  apart.  Four  seeds  were  planted  in  each 
hill,  but  usually  the  stand  did  not  average  over  3  plants  to  a  hill. 
The  plantation  of  beans  consisted  of  six  rows,  each  containing  all  five 
varieties.  Three  rows  were  within  range  of  an  overhead  irrigation 
pipe,  while  the  other  three  were  not.  The  treatments  of  the  various 
rows  were  as  follows: 

1.  Not  irrigated,  check. 

2.  Not  irrigated,  fertilized  with  bone  meal. 

3.  Not  irrigated,  seed  inoculated. 

4.  Irrigated,  check. 

5.  Irrigated,  fertilized  with  sodium  nitrate. 

6.  Irrigated,  seed  inoculated. 

Treatment  of  Irrigated  Rows. — The  rows  to  be  irrigated  were 
watered  as  often  as  the  nature  of  the  season  made  it  seem  advisable; 
whenever  the  soil  became  fairly  dry,  irrigation  was  resorted  to.  In 
three  years  out  of  the  five  the  rainfall  was  quite  deficient  in  June, 
and  the  irrigation  helped  materially  in  hastening  germination.  Later 
irrigation  was  sufficiently  frequent  to  keep  the  plants  from  suffering 
from  lack  of  water  at  any  time. 

Inoculated  Rows. — Seed  for  the  inoculated  rows  was  inoculated 
with  a  special  culture  of  bacteria  furnished  thru  the  courtesy  of  the 


1928]  BUSH  LIMA  BEANS  AS  A  MARKET  GARDEN  CROP  393 

Department  of  Agronomy.  The  bacteria  in  the  culture  were  the  same 
as  those  that  are  effective  in  the  inoculation  of  cowpeas.  Immedi- 
ately before  planting,  the  seeds  were  dipped  in  water  in  which  a  small 
quantity  of  the  culture  had  been  thoroly  mixed. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  Applications. — The  beans  fertilized  with  nitrate 
of  soda  were  given  two  applications,  at  the  rate  of  %  ounce  per  hill 
at  each  application.  The  first  application  was  made  approximately 
four  weeks  after  the  seed  was  planted,  and  the  second  application 
three  weeks  later.  The  nitrate  was  first  pounded  to  crush  all  large 
lumps,  then  the  required  quantity  was  scattered  in  a  circle  about  each 
hill,  and  worked  into  the  soil  by  hoeing.  Care  was  taken  to  avoid 
letting  any  of  the  nitrate  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  foliage, 
stems,  or  roots  of  the  plants. 

Bone  Meal  Applications. — In  using  the  bone  meal  as  a  fertilizer 
for  the  beans  in  Row  2,  the  material  was  applied  at  the  rate  of  2 
ounces  per  hill  just  before  the  seeds  were  planted.  After  the  land 
was  marked  out,  the  required  quantity  of  bone  meal  was  placed  where 
each  hill  was  to  be  planted,  and  was  very  thoroly  mixed  with  the  soil 
by  means  of  a  hoe. 

Cultivation  and  Picking. — The  beans  were  given  good  cultivation 
thruout  the  season,  care  being  taken  to  treat  all  lots  alike  in  this 
respect.  When  the  beans  reached  the  right  stage  of  maturity  for  use 
as  green  shelled  beans  they  were  picked.  Successive  pickings  were 
made  as  necessary  thruout  the  season,  until  the  plants  were  killed  by 
frost. 

The  product  from  each  treatment  in  each  variety  was  weighed 
separately.  To  avoid  delay  and  to  simplify  handling,  the  weights 
were  taken  of  the  beans  in  the  pod,  rather  than  after  shelling,  and 
the  records  are  therefore  given  on  the  basis  of  the  combined  weight 
of  beans  and  pods.  Normally  the  shelled  beans  weigh  approximately 
half  as  much  as  the  pods  and  beans  together. 

Since  there  was  considerable  variation  in  the  stand  of  plants 
from  year  to  year,  it  has  seemed  best  for  purposes  of  comparison  to 
reduce  the  yield  records  to  terms  of  average  weight  of  product  per 
plant.  Undeveloped  pods  on  the  plants  at  times  of  frost  are  not  in- 
cluded in  the  yield  records. 

RESULTS  OF  TESTS 

Irrigation  Increases  Yields  of  All  Varieties 

The  influence  of  irrigation  upon  the  yield  of  lima  beans  is  shown 
by  the  figures  given  in  Table  1.  These  represent  the  yields  from  irri- 
gated and  non-irrigated  plants  that  received  no  other  treatment,  such 
as  inoculation  or  special  fertilizing,  and  show  the  influence  of  irrigation 
alone.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  results  of  irrigation  were  most  striking 


394 


BULLETIN  No.  307 


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1928]  BUSH  LIMA  BEANS  AS  A  MARKET  GARDEN  CROP  395 

in  1920  and  1921,  but  that  as  an  average  for  the  five  years  every 
variety  yielded  better  with  irrigation  than  without.  The  average 
yield  for  the  five  varieties  for  the  five  years  was  44  percent  greater 
from  the  irrigated  than  from  the  non-irrigated  plants. 

Non-Irrigated  Plants  Benefited  by  Inoculation 

Yields  of  the  irrigated  beans  grown  with  and  without  inoculation 
are  given  in  Table  2.  While  in  some  instances  the  yields  were  greater 
from  the  inoculated  plants,  the  differences  were  often  slight,  and  in 
the  case  of  three  varieties  the  average  yields  for  the  five  years  were 
slightly  less  from  the  inoculated  than  from  the  non-inoculated  plants. 
The  five-year  average  for  all  varieties  combined  showed  no  material 
advantage  from  inoculation  when  the  beans  were  grown  under  irri- 
gation. 

On  the  other  hand,  Table  3,  giving  the  yields  of  inoculated  and 
non-inoculated  beans  grown  without  irrigation,  shows  entirely  differ- 
ent results  from  inoculation.  Except  in  1921  every  variety  yielded 
better  nearly  every  year  when  inoculated  than  when  not  inoculated, 
and  the  five-year  average  for  every  variety  was  in  favor  of  inocula- 
tion. The  average  yield  for  the  five  varieties  for  the  five  years  was 
19  percent  greater  from  the  inoculated  than  the  non-inoculated  plants. 

Where  irrigation  is  not  possible,  it  would  .appear  that  inoculation 
may  reasonably  be  expected  to  increase  the  yield. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  With  Irrigation  Produced  Highest  Yields 

The  effect  of  nitrate  was  tested  only  in  connection  with  the  beans 
grown  under  irrigation.  The  plan  was  to  make  the  conditions  as 
favorable  as  possible  for  a  strong  vegetative  growth,  and  to  note  the 
productiveness  under  such  conditions,  rather  than  to  test  the  effect 
of  nitrate  alone.  The  yields  of  the  irrigated  beans,  with  and  without 
nitrate,  are  given  in  Table  4. 

It  will  be  noted  that  while  in  certain  instances  the  yields  were 
lower  from  the  nitrated  than  from  the  non-nitrated  beans,  the  five- 
year  average  for  every  variety  was  greater  where  the  nitrate  was 
used  than  where  it  was  not.  The  five-year  average  for  the  five  varie- 
ties combined  shows  7  percent  increase  in  yield  evidently  due  to  the 
nitrate  treatment.  While  this  is  not  a  very  material  increase  in  yield 
over  the  yield  obtained  from  irrigation  alone,  it  is  the  highest  average 
yield  from  any  treatment  tested,  and  indicates  that  making  the  con- 
ditions especially  favorable  for  strong  vegetative  growth  is  at  least 
not  detrimental  to  the  yield  of  beans. 

Bone  Meal  Without  Irrigation  Increases  Yields 

Bone  meal  was  used  only  with  the  plants  grown  without  irriga- 
tion. This  treatment  was  introduced  in  order  to  test  the  effect  of 


396 


BULLETIN  No.  307 


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398  BULLETIN  No.  307  {.May, 

furnishing  conditions  presumably  favorable  to  the  development  of  the 
fruit  and  seed  parts  of  the  plant  rather  than  the  vegetative  parts. 
The  yields  of  beans  grown  with  and  without  bone  meal  are  given  in 
Table  5. 

This  table  shows  that  the  average  yield  for  each  variety  was 
greater  where  the  bone  meal  was  used.  The  five-year  average  for  all 
varieties  shows  that  the  beans  treated  with  bone  meal  yielded  ap- 
proximately 16  percent  more  than  those  grown  without  bone  meal. 

Dicer's  Bush  Lima  Most  Promising  Variety 

While  marked  differences  in  yields  of  lima  beans  were  secured 
under  the  different  treatments,  there  were  still  greater  differences  be- 
tween the  yields  of  different  varieties.  By  far  the  highest  average 
yields  were  secured  from  Dreer's  Bush  Lima.  This  va'riety  had  the 
highest  five-year '  average  yield  under  every  treatment;  and  if 
the  average  yields  for  all  six  treatments  are  combined  for  the  five 
years,  the  Dreer's  Bush  Lima  shows  a  51  percent  greater  yield  than 
any  of  the  other  varieties.  This  is  the  most  promising  variety,  among 
those  tested,  for  the  production  of  green  lima  beans  under  market- 
garden  conditions  in  the  corn  belt.  It  is  of  the  potato  lima  type,  but 
sells  on  the  market  on  the  same  basis  as  the  large,  flat-seeded  type. 

PREPARATION  OF  LIMA  BEANS  FOR  MARKET 

Lima  beans  should  be  picked  as  soon  as  the  beans  have  attained 
full  size  and  before  they  begin  to  turn  white.  The  market  demands 
that  the  beans  be  green.  While  the  beans  keep  better  in  the  pod  than 
shelled,  most  markets  demand  them  in  the  shelled  form.  Shelling  is 
facilitated  if  the  pods  are  allowed  to  wilt  for  a  few  hours  before  the 
shelling  is  commenced.  Care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  heating 
of  the  beans  either  before  or  after  they  are  shelled.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  spread  the  pods  out  on  a  cellar  floor  as  soon  as  they  are  picked. 
They  may  be  kept  in  such  a  place  for  two  or  three  days  pending 
shelling  if  necessary. 

The  beans  are  shelled  by  hand  and  placed  in  pint  berry  boxes. 
The  boxes  should  be  allowed  to  stand  where  the  air  will  circulate 
about  them  for  an  hour  or  two  after  the  shelled  beans  are  put  into 
them.  They  may  then  be  placed  in  crates  for  hauling  to  market.  The 
standard  package  for  lima  beans  is  a  24-pint  case. 

While  most  markets  at  present  require  that  lima  beans  be  shelled 
before  they  are  offered  for  sale,  it  would  undoubtedly  be  possible  to 
develop  a  trade  in  lima  beans  in  the  pod  in  local  markets  where  the 
producer  sells  directly  to  the  consumer.  The  personal  recommenda- 
tion of  the  producer  and  the  assurance  that  the  beans  keep  better  in 
the  pod  and  are  also  more  sanitary  when  so  handled  should  go  a  long 
way  toward  popularizing  this  method  of  handling  green  limas.  The 


BUSH  LIMA  BEANS  AS  A  MARKET  GARDEN  CROP  399 

beans  could  also  be  sold  cheaper  in  the  pod,  since  the  labor  of  shelling 
is  a  large  item  of  expense  in  connection  with  their  production  and 
marketing. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


